When she came to a stop she quickly raised her head. Directly above her was a Halfling. As Nancy turned her head, he raised a granite stone hammer, Another one? and swung it down at her. She flinched her head and caught the blow on her ear. The relatively delicate structure exploded into tiny fragments. In a rage she pushed her legs under her and stood as the Halfling wound up for another strike. Twisting her serpentine neck, she grabbed the Halfling in her mouth- legs on one side, arms and head on the other. He dropped the hammer as she bit down hard on his armor. A tooth broke. Then another. Finally the Halfling’s spine gave way. She shook him several times to be sure he was done for, then tossed him at two other Halflings, knocking them to the ground. She moved over and crushed them before they could stand. With a roar she entered the battle, keeping an eye out for any hammer-wielding Halflings. She did not know it, but there were a total of four of them- brothers all. The other two had already been dispatched by Reuben.
Only after they had managed to cripple Cerise.
Pollux and Gus, with Castor beside, came barreling down the slope to the right of the cliff. After seeing their compatriots go over the edge, they had turned sharply, teetered on the edge, but managed to keep their balance as they turned. The other Gargoyles had gone left and entered the battle from the other side.
“When this is all over and done with, you know what’s the first thing I’m going to do?” Castor called to his brother as they galloped along the cliff’s edge.
“What’s that?”
“Put a damned sign at the top of this thing!”
Pollux laughed heartily, “If Cerise and Reuben don’t beat you to it first. You should’a seen their faces as they ran into clean air!”
Castor guffawed back at his brother.
“We there yet?” Asked Gus impatiently.
“Yeah,” agreed Castor’s Golem. “Bored.”
“We’re there, boys.” The pair turned down the evening-out cliff and began down the steep hill to the battle. When they reached the bottom, the two skidded to a stop. “You want to ride or walk?” Castor asked.
“Walkin’” said Castor’s Golem as he dismounted. He lifted his club high to one side and began a back and forth sweeping motion with it. The Halflings before him were crushed as they were tossed in both directions. He waded into the fracas, oblivious to the numerous -ineffectual- stabs the Halflings delivered.
“Wanna ride” said Gus. He hefted his club and pointed. “Gonna knock heads clean off.”
“Can’t argue with that,” said Pollux as he winked at his brother, “see you after the show.” With that, Pollux bounded into the fray, swatting Halflings left and right with his paws and horns as we went. The Halflings around the pair moved away from the twelve foot tall conglomeration that was Pollux and Gus. Gus leaned out and began to conduct his own swatting. It was an unfortunate, gruesome twist of Fate for the Halflings that Gus’ swings from atop the Gargoyle, seemed to meet Halflings at just about head-height.
Gus, on the other hand, was having the time of his life.
Fate looked over from where she was observing three travelers as they snuck through the mountains of Orcistan and nodded approvingly at the Golem.
Castor moved behind his Golem and began to bite off the numerous Halflings that seemed to be trying to scale it to reach its head in hopes of taking it down. Whether it noticed or not, or appreciated the assistance or not, was anyone’s guess. Either way, the brothers and their Golems had a devastating effect on the Halflings.
Frantically, RatShambler moved back and forth around the battlefield. Only once was he stuck by a Halfling and he had rewarded it with a skull-crushing kick. Finally, a familiar-looking shoe sticking from under a pile of bodies caught his eye. He moved over to it and gingerly grasped the leg in his mouth and pulled. Drimblerod’s motionless body appeared from under the dead Halflings and Humans. “Drim!” Said RatShambler, relieved as he grabbed the Gnome’s leg and began to pull him towards the cliff face. The area had become an impromptu medical station. Although, in all actuality no one was being treated; it was more a pile of wounded and dying soldiers. The Halflings that had died falling from the cliff had been hastily pushed into a gruesome wall, providing a modicum of protection. If nothing else, it forced attackers to move to the gap in the barrier to gain access to the wounded.
As RatShambler dragged the Gnome, he slid past battling soldiers. At one point he seemed to back into a solid object. He turned to look and saw a Golem swinging a Halfling as a flail. One of the Golem’s arms was missing at the elbow and it’s body was battered and missing several pieces. Even so, it continued to swing at opponents. It turned as RatShambler bumped into it, raising the Halfling high overhead.
“Stop! I’m on your side! I’m with Captain Frank!” Pleaded RatShambler as he prepared for what would be a devastating blow.
“Yeah?”
“Yes! We were at Frank’s Keep. I’m trying to get my friend to the wounded at the cliff.”
“That a Halflin’?”
“No, no! It’s a Gnome.”
The Golem turned and swung the Halfling at another Halfling sending both flying. The Golem looked at the leg still in his hand.
“Delberger’s Foot!” Said RatShambler. Nothing else came to mind.
The Golem looked around, looking for another weapon. It crouched down and swung at a Halfling that wisely moved out of reach. There was a veritable calm in the storm around the Golem.
“Help me get my friend to the cliff! Please!”
“Kay.” said the Golem as he picked up Drimblerod. By the legs.
“And don’t swing him at anyone! He’s a good guy!”
The Golem frowned. “Kay.” Dejected, he trudged to the cliff face. Halflings moved even further from the Golem now that he appeared to be armed again.
When they reached the cliff, the Golem dropped Drimblerod. “Yeah?”
RatShambler, following close behind him, scooted behind the Halfling-corpse wall. There were dozens of men in the area. Several moaned as they tried to apply pressure to their wounds. There even seemed to be a Gargoyle that was missing a front leg lying against the cliff face. RatShambler looked back out into the battle and saw two Halflings approaching. Ostensibly hoping to dispatch all the unarmed wounded that were so conveniently gathered together. “Get those two Halflings, Golem!” Commanded RatShambler.
Used to taking orders, the Golem turned to face the approaching Halflings. They spread out, swords at the ready. The one on his missing-arm side smiled. “Keep it occupied” he told his fellow Halfling.
The two approached warily as the Golem flexed his remaining hand. He looked from one to the other. Seemingly confused.
“Don’t let them in!” Pleaded RatShambler. Behind him, to his great pleasure, Drimblerod moaned.
In a flash, the Halflings charged the Golem. The one on the Golem’s ‘armed’ side feinting a strike as the other tried to slip past under its stump.
“Look out!” Warned RatShambler.
The Golem reached out and took the approaching Halfling by the head. Picking up the Halfling, he turned to swat at the other one with him. The other Halfling ducked as he moved behind the barrier. The Golem dropped the Halfling he was holding and then picked him up by the feet. While he did, the other Halfling advanced on RatShambler, weapon at the ready, “Stinking collaborator! Just you…” he began as he suddenly exploded into a dazzling display of blue light and gore.
The Golem held the lifeless Halfling up to his face to shield his eyes.
RatShambler turned back and gaped at Drimblerod. He was sitting up.
Drimblerod blinked as he tried to focus on RatShambler. Blood streamed down his face from a gash in his forehead. “Did I get him?”
“Yeah, you got him all right.”
Drimblerod nodded then fell backward. “Good.”
“Stay here and guard the wounded.” RatShambler said to the Golem.
The Golem nodded. “Yeah.”
For the rest of the ba
ttle, several dozen Halflings tried to get past the one-armed Golem to gain access to the wounded. None succeeded. While he stood guard, RatShambler busied himself by ripping clothing from the dead Halflings for the wounded to use as bandages.
Chapter Eight
Red Armor? Not the Best Idea
Sorry
Edward turned just as another Halfling tried to stab him in the back. Thanks to his armor, most of their attacks bounced off ineffectually. Unfortunately, thanks to his armor, every Halfling in the area seemed to notice the bright red man and decided they would be the one to take him down.
“Watch it, Red,” warned Joachim as he savagely kicked a Halfling approaching Edward from his blind side. He dispatched the Halfling as it struggled to his feet with a swift downward slash. “Hate these guys!”
“Edward”
“How’d you know its name?” Asked Joachim as he slashed at another Halfling.
“I’m Edward. Name’s not Red,” panted Edward. The battle had been raging for over thirty minutes and he was severely out of breath. It’s a good thing bank robberies don’t last this long.[6]
A dozen men followed behind the two, hacking and slashing as they went, doling out far more punishment than they received. Even so, numbers were on the side of the Halflings; for every one that was cut down, several moved in to replace them. With the Humans, this was not the case. A large bear-looking Gargoyle moved into the open area in between the men. “You gents need a hand? Or two?” Asked Hefty as he reared up and flexed dish-sized stone paws.
Edward turned quickly to look at up the Gargoyle. “We’ll take all we can get!” He said. As he looked back out, a Halfling thrust upward with his sword, trying to get it above Edward’s codpiece and under his breastplate, into his vulnerable abdomen. Instead, it skidded up the breastplate and jabbed him under the chin. Edward’s head flinched back as the sword tip made its way into his mouth. He kicked out harshly, catching the Halfling in the face. Its nose crushed under his boot as it fell back. For a moment, its sword hung from Edward’s chin, then dropped off. A torrent of blood poured out from his chin and out his mouth. Edward staggered back as a man caught him.
Hefty stepped forward and swatted the Halfling as it started to get up. He looked over at Edward. To his relief, the man was still standing on his own. “That’s gonna leave a scar with character,” he said with a stony grin. “You all right?”
Edward shook his head to clear the fog. He spat out a mouthful of blood, then chuckled. “Great, now I’m even brighter red.” Blood continued to stream down his chin and neck. “My wife’s going to kill me.”
The men around him all laughed as they continued to slash at the Halflings. “You’re a nut, Edward” said Joachim as he swung his axe in a broad stroke in front of him. With the mood lightened, the group fought their way through the Halflings. Suddenly, they were surprised to not have any Halflings in front of them- having moved through the entire force.
“Back towards the cliff then?” Asked Hefty. He looked down at Edward. The bleeding had only slowed a little and now the man’s eyes darted back and forth. He seemed to be in shock. “You want a ride?”
Edward looked up at the Gargoyle, “I think I’m fine down here.” He smiled a bloody smile.
“Laddie, if a Gargoyle offers you a ride, and you’re bleedin’ like a stuck pig, you take it.” Joachim pushed Edward towards Hefty, “Get on there so we can start back.” He gestured with his axe at the ongoing melee. “We’re missin’ out.”
Hefty crouched down as Edward clambered on. “Grab the rope and start swinging,” offered Hefty.
Edward looked down at the rope. There was a puddle of blood on it from when he looked down at it. He wrapped the free end of the rope around his arm several times. “I’ll scrub this off when we’re done,” he said, “I promise.”
“Ya better!” Warned Hefty as he moved to the front of the formation. “Here we go!” With that the group made their way back into the fracas leaving a wake of dead and dying Halflings as they went.
Rueben turned and charged into another group of Halflings. Since his beloved Cerise had been cut down, he had been ruthlessly dispatching Halflings on his own. He crushed three Halflings who were looking the other way- they working together to bring down a Half-Orc wielding a double-balled flail.
“Tanks!” Said Pike as he turned to engage another Halfling.
Rueben nodded in return. As he stomped over the dead Halflings he almost ran headlong into another Gargoyle. “Ri! Doin’ all right?” There was a bloodied soldier on his back as well. He didn’t look better off than Edward.
Ri shook his massive head, “Brenin’s down.”
“Brenin too?”
Ri narrowed his stony eyes, “What ya mean too?”
“Cerise is down.”
“For good?”
Rueben shook his head, “Lost a leg. Brenin?” He asked anxiously.
“Front legs. I told him to lay still so they don’t pound him into dust. Koza and Gafr are still causing trouble”
Rueben bit down on a Halfling and spit out the remains. “Those two old goats’ll give them what for. How you doing up there, soldier?” He asked the man on Ri’s back.
“I think we’re winnin’,” said the soldier. His eyes were glassed over and he barely held onto his sword.
“Well, thanks to soldiers like you.”
The soldier didn’t seem to hear him. “I think we’re winnin’,” he said again. His sword fell from his grip. “There’ll be songs, so says the Captain.”
As if on cue, the two stone goats plowed through with their heads down, bloody horns thrashing back and forth as they went. There was an impaled Halfling helmet on one of Koza’s curved horns. Its former owner’s head was still in it. “Stinkin’ Halflings!” Koza called over his shoulder as he went.
Ri nodded as he raked sharp granite claws across an approaching soldier. “Hope no one goes down for good.” He cleaned his claws on the downed soldier. “Wanna stick together?”
Rueben nodded as he turned beside the lion. “Let’s go.”
The two stepped over and around piles of corpses as they began to look for more targets. After a moment, realization struck. “Where’re all the Halflings?” Asked Ri.
Rueben looked around. Here and there, he saw an individual Halfling sparring with two or three Humans, and one vainly trying to defend against a Golem who was trying to grab him. The Golem finally managed to reach down and gasp the Halfling. He squirmed in its grip, repeatedly stabbing it in the forearm as it picked him up. With a grunt, it heaved the Halfling a good hundred yards. The soldier spun head over heels, cart-wheeling as he went. It landed on a very large pile of fallen Halfling soldiers, it remained still- the area had apparently been the Golem’s target for most of the battle. The Golem nodded with approval and turned to search out more projectiles. He smiled a broad smile- metal spoons for teeth gleaming in the sun.
“Gads, Rueben, I think we won.” Ri looked left and right. There were no more moving Halflings around them. Fifty yards away, he spotted Hefty. There was a soldier slumped over on his back. Hefty looked in their direction and began to walk gingerly toward them. The soldier swayed dangerously as he went.
Reuben and Ri moved toward their friend. “Hefty, I think we won,” said Reuben when they were close to each other.
“Told ya,” said the Soldier. “Next come the songs.”
Reuben nodded, “Yeah, I think we did. Any of us down?” He looked around, “For good?” He added nervously.
The other two Gargoyles shook their heads, “Not as far as we know,” said Ri. “Let’s find the others.” He looked at the Human on his back, “I think that fellow needs some medical attention.” The front of the Sergeant at Arms was smeared with blood- unfortunately mostly his own. His head lolled back and forth. Even so, he kept a grip on the rope to stay in place. “Head back to the cliff and we’ll keep an eye on him.”
With that, the two Gargoyles moved to each side of their friend, wal
king close so that if the soldier did fall over, it wouldn’t be to the ground. As they approached the cliff face, a Golem stepped forward to block their path. It was covered in blood and missing an arm. In the other it held a length of rope. Tied to the end was a bundle of helmets- an impromptu flail. Judging from the damage to the helmets and amount of blood on them, a well-used impromptu flail. It looked from the Gargoyles up to the bloodied soldier and back down. “Is we winnin?”
“Yep,” said the soldier groggily. “Songs come next.”
Chapter Nine
The Best Laid Schemes of Halflings and Mercenaries Go Awry
“CONSCRIPTS!” Bellowed the Lord High Priest. He was on his knees, peering into the mouth of the Goat of Scrying. Furious.
“Caw!” Screeched the crow. “Disaster! Disaster!”
“Shut up!” Snarled the Lord High Priest. He turned to stand as two conscripts approached, “You, get this goat out of here and down to my royal coach,” he pointed at one of the Halflings. “You go get my armor!” He commanded the other. Without waiting for them to even acknowledge him, he turned and shouted back into his chambers, “Guards!”
The clattering of armor let him know they were on their way. He spun around, “Bert!”
“Ya?” Squawked Bert, “whatayawant?”
The Lord High Priest narrowed his eyes, “I want you to go to that cursed town with the windmill and find out who is responsible for this catastrophe.”
“Now?”
“Yes, go now!” He pointed at the open window, “Away with you!”
Here's Looking For You, Grim (Tales From a Second-Hand Wand Shop Book 3) Page 5